Afghan cricketers who have played in the Indian Premier League

For a country fraught with violence and uncertainty, Afghanistan has certainly come a long way in the world of sport. The country fielded its first ever Paralympian at the Tokyo Paralympics this year despite having the Taliban take over just days before the Paralympics kicked off. Cricket too has seen a meteoric rise with several players playing in various leagues across the world. The Indian Premier League has fortunately also been graced by the presence of several stars in the Afghan national team. We take a look at a few of them and all that they have achieved with their teams.

Rashid Khan

The first name on everyone's lips is none other than ace spinner Rashid Khan. He is the most recognisable player in the Afghan national team due to his performances for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Rashid Khan was bought by Hyderabad back in 2017 for a total of 4 crores. After Mohammed Nabi, he became the second Afghani player to be bought in an IPL auction. His debut was in the very first match of the tournament where he took 2 wickets as Sunrisers emerged as the winners. In 76 matches that he has played, Rashid has taken 93 wickets with an economy of 6.33 while his best bowling figure stands at 3/7.

Mohammed Nabi

The first Afghani player to be sold in an IPL auction, Mohammed Nabi went for 30 lakhs to Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2017. He was bought again by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018 for a total of 1 crore. Nabi has played 17 matches in the IPL since making his debut . The all rounder has taken 13 wickets and scored 180 runs with a strike rate of 151.6. His best bowling figure is 4/11 and economy is 7.13.

As recently as this year, Mohammed Nabi broke the record for taking the most catches in an IPL match by an outfield player. He took 5 catches against Mumbai Indians in one of the final few group stage matches that was held on October 8th.

Mujeeb-ur-Rahman

The 20 year old has already competed in national cricket leagues in more than 4 countries. He is touted to be a future star given that he is already lining up for the national team at the T20 World Cup. Mujeeb-ur rahman played for Kings XI Punjab between 2018-2020. The off break bowler also holds the distinct record for being the youngest cricketer to play in the IPL when he made his debut at the age of 17 years and 11 days in April 2018. Since that day, he has played a total of 19 matches, taking 19 wickets and scoring 12 runs. While he is not known for his batting, his bowling economy is 8.18 and best haul is 3/27. Ahead of the 2021 season, he joined Sunrisers Hyderabad and played 1 match for them.

Zahir Khan

Just like his namesake, Zahir Khan is another youngster touted to scale great heights in the coming years. His IPL journey began with Rajasthan Royals back in 2018 when he was bought for 60 lakh rupees.

Unfortunately it came to quick end as he was ruled out with an injury and replaced by Ish Sodhi. Regardless, he has played for top cricket teams around the world such as Brisbane Heats, Melbourne Stars and Jamaica Tallawahs amongst others.